Chapter: 32
Everyone was so distracted that they didn’t bother hiding Gerard’s illness even though Kain was there.
“Will you tell me? Even if it causes trouble, I’ll take responsibility.”
Kain looked straight at me. It was clear he was determined to hear it no matter what.
I answered awkwardly.
“Well, that’s only natural……”
“……”
If you’re the one making me say it, then of course you should take responsibility. No need to act like you’re doing me a favor.
But I also wanted to say it.
I just hadn’t been able to because I was worried about what kind of aftermath it might cause.
“Anyway, if it gets discovered later, I’ll just say you threatened me into telling.”
“……Uh, sure.”
“The truth is, I only found out about the illness not long ago. People suspected that Gerard’s disease might be hereditary, so everyone avoided you in case they became a medium that could pass it on. But the physician said it would be fine if you had a special purification stone he recommended……”
I explained everything.
How the Duke started eating together with others after obtaining the purification stone.
How the stone turned out to be defective, so they tried to avoid him again until a new one was found.
And how, after hearing Kain’s words, I decided to stay close to him even without the purification stone.
Then, even though he hadn’t asked, I added explanations about the Duke’s current situation, the suspicions surrounding Zaira, and my own thoughts about it.
“……I see.”
Kain lowered his gaze and remained silent for a moment. He seemed shocked that all of this had happened without him knowing.
But before long, he seemed to organize his thoughts and spoke again.
“So you want to reveal Zaira’s true nature?”
Well… what I actually wanted most was to reconcile the Duke and Kain.
But to do that, I had to get past Zaira’s interference.
“If possible, yes. But I think it’ll be difficult. There’s no clear evidence. And honestly, these are just my suspicions. Maybe he really is just a rude doctor who makes a lot of mistakes.”
“I believe you.”
Kain answered immediately.
“If you suspect him, then there must be a reason. Tristan did the same.”
“Young master……”
I blinked.
“You shouldn’t accuse someone based only on suspicion.”
“……”
Kain made an aggrieved face.
I smiled softly.
“But thank you for taking my side. Still, it’s true we don’t have physical evidence. Oh, by the way, now that our secret talk is over, can I tell everyone you’ve woken up? They’re probably waiting.”
“……”
“Young master?”
“So all we need is physical evidence.”
Kain thought for a moment and continued.
“Actually, when that man came earlier, I overheard something he said……”
“Huh?”
My eyes widened in surprise.
“Wait. You weren’t awake just now?”
“Ah, well……”
“Then when I came in to purify you, you were pretending not to notice!?”
“Wait, calm down—”
“My goodness, how can you secretly watch someone like that…? Since when have you been doing something so shady!?”
As I recoiled in shock, Kain hurriedly waved his hands.
“I regained consciousness this afternoon…! I was just waiting for the right timing, because I could hear people walking in the corridor.”
“Oh, I see.”
Then that was completely understandable.
I nodded in agreement.
“……If you understand, then come closer.”
“I can hear you just fine from here, so don’t worry.”
Kain pressed his fingers to his forehead and groaned.
“Anyway, when he came earlier, he was holding a bottle with black liquid in it and said, ‘Might as well use the rest.’ And thinking about what you said earlier… I suspect that black liquid might have been inside the jelly I ate.”
Kain sounded almost certain.
But there’s no such black magic.
Normally, black magic involved burning a piece of paper with a magic circle drawn on it to summon a monster to that location.
Hmm.
Leaning against the wall with my hand on my chin, I organized my thoughts.
Black magic summons monsters to that spot. But there was no paper there. According to Kain, though, there was a suspicious black liquid.
What could it be?
Then Kain tilted his head and asked,
“Is there a way to use black magic from somewhere else and summon the monster to wherever that black liquid is?”
“I’ve never heard of something like tha— Ah!”
Suddenly something from the original story came to mind.
“Come to think of it… in the novel— no, I mean, in the future someone finds the research journal of a villain organization. It mentioned traces of various black magic experiments!”
I was supposed to phrase it like I had seen the future, but I almost said that Kain found it in the novel. Whew.
“But I’m not sure whether something like this exists. The details weren’t explained.”
“Still, that means modified black magic does exist. Then it’s possible this is black magic and that man might be part of that villain organization.”
A member of the villain organization…?
The villain organization I had just mentioned was Luminior.
The organization my brother belonged to.
Could this… be a clue to finding my brother?
It wasn’t even certain, yet my heart began pounding wildly.
“I have to uncover Zaira’s true nature. At the very least, I want to know what that black liquid is!”
I started rummaging through the desk enthusiastically, searching for the bottle.
“It won’t be there. I saw him put it in his pocket.”
“Then I’ll go right now and shake his clothes out—!”
“That’s probably not a good idea. From what I’ve heard, he’s quite cautious. He might have hidden it.”
That made sense.
Even when his lie was exposed, he didn’t react emotionally.
But we couldn’t just sit still either.
“Then what should we do?”
“I do have one method in mind……”
Kain seriously explained the plan he had come up with.
And I answered firmly.
“No!”
“There isn’t any other way.”
“Still, no! What if you get hurt…!”
“I’ll take responsibility.”
“This isn’t something you can talk about responsibility for—”
“Please.”
Kain lowered his head.
“Ugh, but…!”
“I want your help.”
“No matter what…!”
“Please.”
“Aaagh… haa.”
I pressed my hand against my forehead.
“Then if it seems dangerous, you run away immediately.”
Since when did he learn how to ask so honestly? In the end, I gave in a little.
But even while proposing a compromise, I pressed my lips tightly together, still unhappy.
Seeing me like that, Kain smiled faintly.
“I will.”
A few days later
Late at night, when everyone was asleep, someone walked through the corridor.
The careful steps made no sound.
Eventually, they stopped in front of a certain door.
Click. Thud. Clack.
As soon as the person entered the room, they locked the door so no one could come in.
For a moment, moonlight from the window illuminated the person’s red hair.
“Hah.”
Zaira looked at Kain, who was lying on the bed, and let out a quiet laugh.
Sleeping peacefully without knowing what might happen next.
Then again, it had taken a long time for Rain to wake up as well. There was no way Kain, who had almost swallowed a monster, would wake up faster than that.
“If the Duke had trusted my words properly, I wouldn’t have had to go this far. What a shame.”
Standing in front of Kain, Zaira pulled a bottle from his coat.
He had considered other methods for several days, but this was still the only one that would work without leaving consequences.
After confirming that Kain was asleep, Zaira opened the lid.
“Well, what can I do? I suppose I’ll just have to blame the Duke.”
Then he opened Kain’s closed mouth and poured the black liquid inside.
At that moment—
Grab.
Someone seized Zaira’s wrist.
The tilting bottle froze in midair.
“W-What!?”
Startled, Zaira followed the hand gripping him with his gaze.
And at the end of it—
“Y-Young master!?”
As if responding to the call, Kain opened his eyes and sat up.
Zaira’s eyes shook violently.
I clearly confirmed he was asleep—so why!?
Had he been pretending to sleep on purpose? To deceive me!?
“Were you trying to make me drink this?”
Kain shifted his gaze from the black liquid in the bottle and glared at Zaira.
“Th-that, well, this medicine is a special remedy meant to wake you up, young master…!”
Having quickly grasped the situation, Zaira tried to pull his hand away in panic, but the wrist Kain held wouldn’t budge.
“Aah!”
Kain twisted Zaira’s wrist behind his back.
Crash!
The bottle fell, and the black liquid spilled across the floor.
